Burrito West Blog

In an effort to get out and experience more of the spectacularly beautiful province we live in, Peter and I have been trying to go hiking this summer. If you scroll back a few posts, you'll remember my post about the Buntzen Lake hike which resulted in a terrible migraine that knocked me out for a day. That sucked. I mean, the hike was nice, the aftermath not so much.

This time around, we were doing a much bigger hike: Elfin Lakes. 22km round trip. We joined a group of people (Peter's co-workers and their friends, all lovely people) and headed out early Sunday morning. It was hot and sunny. The scenery was spectacular right from the get-go (see photo at left). Unfortunately as the day progressed, the flies started to get kind of bad. For someone with a bug phobia (that would be me), this means you don't want to stop moving ever because when you stop, the flies swarm you. And the feeling of flies touching your skin makes you want to scream and run away, but you can't because you're trying hard to appear normal in front of the new people. So you just quietly go insane on the inside.

We got to Elfin Lakes (I was expecting bigger lakes, to be honest, but it was very pretty and refreshing). Would have been a beautiful place to rest and swim and eat and recoup.... except for the FLIES. Seriously, even the people without bug phobias were anxious to get moving after hanging out for about an hour. On the way back the flies kept up and the last hour was pretty terrible. We nearly ran for the car in the parking lot, even though it was 193 degrees from sitting in the sun for 6 hours. It was bug free.... a 193 degree heaven.

And yes. I got a headache. And vomited on the way home. So I'm still not a huge fan of hiking.

But, man, I got some great photos.

I took today off because it's dreadfully slow at work for me right now... and I can always use a day at home to myself! I pulled out my sewing machine and made myself a simple circle skirt using some obnoxiously loud material I got for just such a purpose. The fabric is some kind of slippery man made stuff which makes it great for dancing (light and flowy). My dance instructor is always very happy when I show up to dance in a skirt (I admit, our dancing does seem better when you can see my legs). This was my first time sewing an item of clothing so I went with the easiest possible project and it was a success. Total cost ~ $12. And now, having survived this project, I'll be able to do something more complicated next time. Which is good, because I kind of need a lot of skirts suddenly.

Once Peter and I have become masters of dancing (we're almost there, right?), I'd like to win the lottery and hire a music coach to see if my tone-deafness can be overcome. I'd really like to play an instrument of some kind. I made a half hearted attempt to learn the violin while in Wisconsin... and I learned something interesting about myself (though I did not learn to play the violin sadly).

There are some things for which I'm very much a self-taught kind of person, I prefer to go at it on my own. Software is like that - I get impatient in courses and tutorials and want to just figure it out as I go. I've learned everything software-related this way. I'm totally self-taught with my beadwork and most crafts, just followed instructions in books and online, maybe a bit of time with a friend, and eventually I understand how it all happens. But other things - I only thrive with serious, regular, high quality instruction. Dance is like that. We tried doing it through a community centre group class once - TOTAL FAILURE. Disaster. But this time around with a proper instructor and regular private lessons and practice and structure, totally different. Same thing with music - I think I'd need an intense, structured program and then maybe I'd manage it. I'd love to go away to a grown-up music camp - an intense immersion kind of thing to really get started.

First step - more free time.

Continuing in the theme of finishing projects I started a really long time ago.... I've got this green tank top that I did a little funky bead embroidery on ages ago. It's one of my favorite summer tops because it's casual and comfortable but has a little unique detail on it. Nothing fancy, just a bit of personality.

I liked the finished product enough that I went to the store and got 2 more tank tops to do up. One I ended up wearing plain - I needed a shirt and didn't have time to wait for me to get around to crafting it up (I can be so slow!).

The other shirt got started and promptly shoved in a workbox. I pulled it out recently and decided the bead colour was all wrong - that's what caused me to hit a wall with it. So I took out the beadwork that had been started and I went with something more subtle this time. I've been working at it a bit here and there this week. I think a few more squiggly turns and it will be done.

Those who know me, know that doing random, organic/flowy things is very difficult for me. I prefer lines and patterns and things planned out in advance. Just winging it is not my forte!

But, it's good to break out of your box every now and then and do something that challenges your natural tendencies.

I'm picking myself up off the floor to share with you my new totally-don't-need-it-but-I-want-it item.... the most beautiful lampshade ever, called Midsummer Light by Tord Boontje. I just need a place with even higher ceilings first.

More images of his work here.

I'm being lazy and cribbing a post from my other blog....

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I've got an adorable folding bike that I love to bits and I live in a city that's pretty progressive in providing bike lanes/routes (by North American standards).... so I've cycled here more than any other city I've lived in.

But the sporty style of bike accessories frustrated me. My cute bike and I deserved more! I'm not interested in going super fast and getting sweaty. I want to be relaxed and wear normal clothes and arrive at my destination relatively unsweaty. My desire for a more relaxed, stylish form of biking was fueled in a major way by this website - Copenhagen Cycle Chic, which documents the ease with which cycling fits into everyday life in Copenhagen. It's very inspiring - a glimpse into how things could be.



First, after much difficulty, I found a helmet that was in no way aerodynamic (I have no intentions of traveling at speeds where drag will be an issue, thank you), something with a bit of chic to it.






Then I made myself a few bike cuffs to keep my pants out of my chain while riding.










This month my humble little bike cuffs were featured in Momentum Magazine!

Momentum Magazine, a fabulous free magazine all about everyday person cycling (not sporty cycling), put out an issue all about the crafty DIY culture and how it intersects with bike culture. It's a fantastic magazine. If you can't find it in a bike store near you, request it. In the meantime, read it online here. And happy cycling!

(I've got ideas brewing for other bike accessories that could easily be more stylish (bike gloves!). If only I had more time. And magical sewing elves.)

Life As Me.

I'm one of those people who suffers from migraines. They started very suddenly in undergrad - I remember my first one on the day of a thermodynamics midterm, I was super stressed out and then developed this headache that was so bad it made me naseaus - I was in the doctor's office in a panic. She wrote me a note, gave me something, and I stumbled to Peter's place just off campus.... and was sick on the way there. That's how bad they get. (Anyone who knows me knows I avoid vomiting at all costs, but sometimes the migraines are too much.)

Migraines were a problem all through university. Doctors didn't have much to offer, a few medications that were meant for other things that had the side effect of sometimes making migraines go away. I particularly recall that not one doctor asked me about my diet. I was a ridiculously skinny student that ate few nutrients and lots of junk and no doctors talked to me about that, they all just pulled out their prescription pads. That's a side rant about the medical profession though.

The migraines continuned after graduation. Working in Wisconsin I had a system figured out for treating myself - so if I woke up with a migraine I could be mostly functional by the afternoon. Missed a lot of half days at work. Not fun.

In Vancouver, the migraines haven't been so bad. I'd say they even downgraded to just really bad headaches most of the time with the occassional real migraine. Don't know why.

Over the years I've learned some of the random things that will usually set one off for me. Such as eating chips late at night. Why that would give me a headache, I don't know, but it's a pretty reliable one - I tested it extensively. Particularly with Doritos. Not eating my meals at normal times, or missing meals will sometimes do it to, which is annoying on vacation when mealtimes are always screwed up.

So on Saturday Peter and I went on a hike with some of his friends at Buntzen Lake. It was a tough trail, a 5+ hour hike. Beautiful weather, beautiful scenery, lots of sweating. When we got back to the parking lot afterwards, I knew without a doubt that I was going to have a headache.... and suspected it would be a bad one. It was bad. The rest of my Saturday was a write off. Not sure what triggered that one - too much sun, not enough water, too much exertion? Not having a proper lunch. So many possibilities. It's annoying being so frail - I try to do a good thing, go out and exercise, push my limits.... but when I do, I get knocked on my ass by my own head.

Sucks. But the view was almost worth it.

Peter and I had a lovely weekend up at Whistler - just a quick trip away. Peter needed to get some mountain biking in and Whistler runs a crazy mountain bike park during the summer - you take the lifts up the mountain and bomb down all the trails.

The village has a totally different feel to it in summer - partly because you have dudes and chicks with HUGE bikes walking around in full body armor, partly because you can sit outside and not freeze. Which is what I did. =)








We booked a fabulous apartment in the Upper Village (photo of our view at left), had lovely weather, and Peter exhausted himself on the mountain. It was good times.


















And the drive home took my breath away like it always does, it's staggeringly scenic.




Happy Canada Day!